Wire fabric.



0. H.. WATKINS.

WIRE FABRIC.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 24, I916.

l 353,@52 u Pafimted Jan. 15, 1918.

fidemZ f' 1 I barren sraarns rarnnr Prion ORLA H. WATKIN$, 0F KENOSHA, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 HENRY RICHARDSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WIRE FABRIC.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 15, 191%..

To alltuhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OKLA H. Wartime, a citizen of:the United States, residing. at Kenosha, in the county of Kenosha and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire Fabrics, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to wire fabrics and has more particular reference to that type of fabrics which is employed to form the bottoms of beds and couches, etc.

One of the primary objects of my present invention is to provide a fabric of this general character which, by reason of the con struction of the fabric units and the manner in which they are connected together, can be made of very light wire and still possess sufficient strength to withstand any strains to which it may be subjected in use.

Another object of my invention is to provide a two-ply fabric unit of novel construction in which the two limbs of the tension member of the unit will be held against separation from each other during the con-- struction of the unit by having the end portions of the wire crossed, and at least one of them upturned and carried across the opposite limb of the tension member.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. Referring to the drawings- Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a fabric embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of one end of my improved fabric unit;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a modified form of my invention; and i Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one end of the fabric unit shown in Fig. 3.

A fabric embodying my invention is made up of a series of bent wire units connected end to end to form longitudinal strands, each of the units comprising a two-ply tension member having one closed end and a. two-ply loop at the other end connected to the closed end of a longitudinally adjacent unit. The strands, consisting of a series of such units, are connected together transversely of the fabric by cross members which may be formed integrally with the unitsor structurally independent thereof, as preferred.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, reference characters 5 and (S desig nate,-respectively,parallel limbsof a two ply tension member which forms the main body portion of a fabric unit, the two limbs being integrally connected together at one end, as indicated by reference character '7, the wires being separated to provide a horizontal loop Sadapted to be connected with a vertical loop of the next longitudinally 'adjacent unit.

At. the opposite end of the unit the wire forming an extension of the limb 6 is bent downwardly to form loop member 16 and then upwardly on the outer side of the limb 5, as indicated by reference character The wire is thencarried laterally to form a laterally extending loop 11, the end of the wire being bent back and then looped so as to embrace both of the limbs 5 and 6, the end of the wire being designated by reference character 12 in Fig. 2. The wire f trrming an extension of the limb 5 is bent downwardly as indicated by reference character 13, thence, after crossing the vertical loop member 16 it is carried upwardly through the loop 11 and on the outside of the limb 6. The end is then extended across the limbs 5 and 6 in a lateral direction to form the cross-arn'i 1a which is connected with the next longitudinal strand of the fabric by having its end passed downwardly through a lateral loop 11 of the adjacent strand, then bent back upon itself, and anchored to the body of the cross-arm by being wrapped around or hooked over the latter, asindicated by reference character 15 in Fig. 1.

In fabric units of this general character it has been usual heretofore to form loop members at the ends of the limbs of the tension member, except that the end portions of the wire forming the loop members were not crossed and at least one of said end portions brought up across the opposite side of the tension member. Consequently, in forming the link the limbs of the tension member had a tendency to separate from each other and this separation would sometimes interfere with the proper formation of the link by the machine. By crossing the wires of the two-ply loop and then carrying at least one of them upwardly and across the opposite limb of the tension member, the limbs of the latter are held together and any tendency to separate is resisted and overcomeby this means.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I have illustrated a form of my invention which in all material respects is substantially the same as that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but in this instance the wire forming the extension of the limb 6, after being bent to form the loop member 16 is passed upwardly on the outside of the limb 5 and then wrapped around so as to embrace both limbs 5 and 6, as indicated by reference character 17. In other words, after forming the loop member this wire eX- tension is anchored directly to both limbs of the tension member at the inner end of the loop instead of crossing the limbs laterally and forming the lateral loop 11 as is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. Likewise, the wire forming the extension of the limb 5, after forming the loop member 13, is passed up on the outside of the limb 6 and then anchored to both limbs of the tension memher by being wrapped therearound as in dicated at 18, the anchorage 17 and 18 being both close to the inner end of the loop. It will be evident therefore that the lateral loop 11 and the integral cross-arm 14 are both omitted from the type of unit disclosed in Figs. 3 and 4.

The strands formed by longitudinally interlooped units in the form of Figs. 3 and 4 are connected together transversely of the fabric by structurally independent cross links 19, each end of which is passed through the vertical loop members 13 and 16 of a laterally adjacent element and then anchored by wrapping it around or bending it over the body portion of the cross link, as indicated by reference character 21.

It should be apparent from the foregoing that I have provided a fabric in which one ply of the fabric unit is crossed over the other ply in the formation of the two-ply loop at the end of the unit and that at least one ply of the fabric unit, after forming a loop member, passes upwardly across the opposite limb of the tension member so that the two limbs of the latter are thereby held against separation during the formation of the link. It should also be manifest that I have provided a fabric which is of simple construction and in which the various units are so constructed that a fab ic of great strength is produced even when very light wire is employed.

The invention is not restricted to the specific forms of link or loop shown and described, so long as the described feature of the crossed loop members is retained.

I claim:

1. A wire fabric consisting of a plurality of rows of connected units, each of said units comprising a piece of wire doubled upon itself intermediate its ends to provide a two-ply tension member the limbs of which are integrally connected at one end, said member having a two-ply loop at the other end of theunit the plies of which are crossed one over the other and then brought upwardly on the outer sides of the tension member and then passed across the latter.

2. A wire fabric consisting of a plurality of rows of connected units, each unit having a horizontal integral loop at one end, and a vertical two-ply loop at the other end, the wires forming said two -ply loop being crossed one over the other in the formation of the loop and brought upwardly on opposite sides of the unit.

3. A wire fabric consisting of a plurality of rows of connected units, each of said units comprising a two-ply tension memberhaving its limbs integrally connected at one end and formed at its other end with a twoply loop, the wires forming said loop being crossed one over the other and then passed upwardly and across opposite sides of the limbs of the tension member.

4. A. wire fabric consisting of a plurality of rows of connected units, each unit comprising a two-ply tension member provided at one end with a two-ply loop formed by extensions of the limbs of the tension memher, said extensions being crossed one over the other in the formation of the loop and at least one of said extensions passing upwardly on the opposite side of the tension member. 7

5. As an article of manufacture, an integrally bent wire unit having a two-ply tension member, the wires forming extensions of the limbs of said member being bent downwardly at one end of the latter, crossed one over the other, and then brought upwardly on opposite sides of the tension member.

ORLA H. WATKINS.

Copies of this patent may be obtainea for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

